1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for handling and applying a volatile catalyst to wet surface finishes for the continuous rapid and cool curing thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to cure resin-coated surfaces, such as panels, by passing the wet coated panels through various heat treatments or by radiation or electron beam and ultraviolet ray systems. In the case of heat curing, those types of materials or substrates which react to heat would be affected, while in the case of the radiation type of treatment, the curing field would be restricted to the exact area of the direct path of a beam. Any of these systems involve serious personnel risks and very high costs.
There are certain catalysts, however, that are used as accelerators for drying paints and for curing resins. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,940, issued Nov. 19, 1968, John A. Lopez et al, inventors, teaches a method of using a tertiary amine in a particular solution and bringing it in contact with the coating to be cured.
It would be preferable, in a continuous process, to be able to use such accelerators or catalysts, such as tertiary amines, in a vapor condition and to bring it in contact with the resin type wet finishes, whereby the resin would cure in seconds. However, due to the toxic nature of such accelerators, for example, tertiary amines, this method has not been found to be practical to date.